1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to multi-position reclining beds including new reclining features and attachable desk.
2. Description of Prior Art
Reclining beds were originally used in hospitals to allow patients to sit up in bed, allowing care takers to crank up the back section of the bed rather than arrange pillows and position the patient towards the head board of the bed and then having to lay them flat again. The reclining bed then allowed the patient, through a powered crank or motorized actuator, to change the incline of the back section of the bed. The reclining bed eventually became available for the general public, having the same powered back reclining feature as well as the elevated feet, calve and thigh section to raise above the flat rest position. Since this reclining bed dramatically improved the conventional single position flat bed, user satisfaction was immediately realized. The improvement was significant enough that public demand for more comfort was alleviated nor was further comfort conceived possible from a bed. The reclining bed added the wall hugging feature as seen in Elliott, to allow the end table to stay within reach of the user by moving the back section headward as it was reclined upward. (other sections also moved headward with back section)
The reclining chair with a blanket offered a warm sit-up furniture for watching television or reading and generally placed beside an end table, for drinks and under a lamp. The reclining chair evolved to further allow the user to bring the chair to a flat coplanar position, as seen in Kerstholt, however, such chairs comprised of three sections, back, thigh/buttocks and calve, and offered feet elevation without a horizontal calves section, resulting in the feet being pushed upward and shifting leg weight onto the knees. Kerstholt neither has a boxspring or mattress to tuck or sandwich sheets and blankets into such as a reclining chair, and should be classified as a chair for sleeping, not a wallhugger bed. The point at which a chair becomes a bed may be determined by the following:    a) if sheets, blanket and mattress are a permanent part of the furniture.    b) the size of surface being wide and long enough to facilitate sheets blankets. A standard adult mattress is 36 inches wide by 80 inches long.    c) sheets and blankets would tuck in-between a boxspring and mattress rather than draped over a chair.    d) the width being sufficient to allow a sleeping person to roll from one side to their back to their other side. If this is not the case the furniture should be classified as a cot, lawn chair, or reclining chair.    e) the length being sufficient to facilitate a pillow clearance above the head, and clearance at foot end to allow the feet of the person to not only rest on the mattress but sufficiently inward to allow blankets to remain sloped.    f) the mattress is independent from the surface.    g) the compressibility of the mattress or independent cushion suitable for sleeping rather than sitting.
The reclining bed has the long felt but unrealized disadvantage of ergonomic discomfort in that the body weight of the thighs was slightly shifted towards the buttocks and lower back area due to thighs and feet being raised beyond horizontal and inclined towards and thus bearing on the buttocks and lower back. At the same time the buttocks and lower back are also carrying the weight of the head, shoulders and back that would be transferred to the lower thighs (just above the knee area of the thighs) when sitting up fully in a chair, especially when leaning forward. This is readily felt when reclining in a typical lawn chair where the buttocks section is horizontal, especially when the calve section is also horizontal and no padding is present, even though the bodyweight of the back, head and shoulders is partially supported by the inclined back section. Three section chairs such as Kerstholt recognize the importance of the buttocks section being tilted. This ergonomic problem is also present with the present reclining beds but is masked or retarded by the effect of the mattress softness and the illusion that the body weight is transferred to the lower thighs since the mattress does touch this area. However with back reclined and more so with feet elevated simultaneously (fetal position), long periods in this position results in discomfort in the lower back and tailbone or buttocks due to this absence of weight transfer to the lower thighs. The fetal position also results in discomfort due to the diaphragm being squeezed by the additional weight not being transferred to the lower thigh area, even though it appears to be similar to the full sit up position, the body is generally horizontal and not vertical. There very few situations where the human body is held in the horizontal fetal position in the natural world unless suspended in liquid or floating, when there is virtually no body weight.
The applicant's invention solves this problem with a bed that will move into a full sit up position and body weight transfer to the lower thigh area as well as feet. This development makes long term sitting up in bed possible and thus makes working and recreation of the full sit up position comfortable, hence making a desk, office and recreational device as part of the bed a necessity. The applicant also solves the problem of a standard reclining chair cannot be used with a standard office desk since it is difficult to slide into the location close enough to the desk and still allow entry and exit. The feet and arm rests would also hit the desk rear and drawers. People who work long hours behind the desk will benefit from the variation the reclining bed offers over the most comfortable office chair. Tables for beds exist basically for the purpose of eating during illness, rather than bed trays, and are detached from the bed for the practical reason for use of the same table for other patients, removal when not in use, adjustment for various reclined positions as well as body thickness and back pillow thickness. The eating period is usually short and reading or television require no table surface. The bed may also be required to be rushed into an emergency room and an attached desk would interfere with transport and accessibility. Home use does not require the dettachability of the desk, but this has not been realized and hence invented as part of the bed. The ergonomic time limitation before discomfort is felt has also prevented the need for a desk to be realized or identified. The reclining bed is recreationally used for reading or television. The use for writing or lap top computer work is not commonly realized, desired or practiced since:    a) writing and computer work is not expected or possible for people in the hospital.    b) computers require electrical and phone jacks for internet connection and possibly desk space for supporting paper work, diskette availability, etc., making it simpler to just get up and go to the desk since the user has to get up any way to get the computer. The recent availability of lap tops has made the bed office viable as files, phone numbers and other various written information do not have to be retrieved from filing cabinets or require desk space. Full size computers would be too awkward to move to a separate office location in the home.    c) internet connection of lap tops require accessible phone jacks in the bedroom which is the main reason that is not commonly realized and practiced    d) tables used in hospitals are not common in bedrooms unless person is ill, and for non ill people a tray with support stands for “breakfast in bed” is sufficient.    e) the wall hugger reclining bed provides access to side tables generally located at head of bed to allow enter and exit of bed, for alarm clock, drink, or book.    f) beds are perceived to be used for activities prior to sleep    g) sitting up with legs straight out is intuitively realized to be uncomfortable for long periods    h) an attachable desk on a bed that reclines and especially one that moves toward the wall while reclining is not conceivable, even for someone skilled in the art, to attach a desk and especially one with electrical wiring, for fear of crushing against the desk will reclining or electrical shorts to dangling wires.    J) hoisting devices are located along the head end of the bed for accessibility by hospital staff and for enter and exit accessibility.
The mattress has generally been placed on a boxspring, having legs for foot clearance and a covered with fabric to allow sheets and blankets to be smoothly slid sandwiched between them. It's primary function is to provide a rigid or semi rigid flat surface elevated from ground to allow feet to project under the bed when “making the bed”. Most boxspring surfaces are no longer flexible but are usually made of a low cost chip board or thick cardboard. The conventional consumer perception of a boxspring similar in thickness to the mattress has prevented beds with single plywood sheet and long legs to be successful in the market place even with the reduction in material, delivery and storage cost benefit. This paradigm has made the reclining bed with leg sections dropping below horizontal inconceivable as well as impractical due to the short distance it may be able to drop rendering little gain for the added expense of such a feature. It would also be impractical to increase the overall height of the boxspring to allow for the necessary leg drop clearance since the overall height for sitting when the bed is flat would be high and uncomfortable not to have feet touching the ground. The reclining bed has several design problems that would make this feature of the leg section dropping below the horizontal position very difficult;    a) pivot point between the buttocks section and the thigh section requires a pivot point at the same elevation but under the knee area for the bottom pivot of the double bar linkage to elevate the calves section horizontally as it is recline in an upward or downward direction. This pivot point is named the “lower feet lifting bar pivot 23” of the “feet lifting bar 21” in FIG. 3. This pivot point must be secured to the frame or carriage and would prevent the leg sections from dropping below the horizontal position. If the pivot points were located outside of the drop area say on side boards, then the side boards would prevent two beds from sitting side by side with mattresses touching and the side boards would have to move along the floor to hug the wall as the back section reclines upward and a device to lock the calves section and thigh section coplanar would also have to be added.    b) the linear actuator needs to be centrally located width wise and since the back section reclining actuator is located centrally at the head of the bed, the feet elevating linear actuator has generally been placed below the calves section, thus preventing dropping of the leg section. The other main reason for the location of the linear actuator was that to prevent crushing to children during return to the horizontal position, the linear actuator is not connected to the feet elevating linkage for pulling but only for pushing, allowing return by free fall of the leg section to horizontal. As well the space limitation due to actuator size and symmetry and duplication of components, the actuator is located below the calves section.    C) since the wall hugger is dominating the market, over the non wallhugger, it became even more inconceivable that the leg section now moved further towards the head of the bed can be made to drop, since it would also have to drop through the carriage and carriage track and pedestal or track support structure as well as the pivot point.